Black Strips
by AppleL0V3R
Summary: Originally Sharingan-Youkai's! Itachi meets Midoriko, she sets him a task and he refuses and pays the price. He has to guard Sakura Haruno...as an over grown cat! ItaSaku. Partial Naruto/InuYasha x-over. Will be completed after Snow Flake Soccer Bunny.
1. Set A Task, Never Refuse

**Title:** Black Strips

**Author:** AppleL0V3R (was previously Sharingan-Youkai's)

**Fandom:** Naruto and InuYasha

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** One – Set A Task, Never Refuse

**Rating:** T

**Type:** Story – Incomplete

**Summary:** Itachi meets Midoriko, she sets him a task that he refuses and pays the price. He has to guard Haruno, Sakura...as an over grown cat!

**Word Count:** 1,220

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** This was originally Sharingan-Youkai's but she decided to quit it and put it up for grabs. I liked it so I took it. The first three chapters were originally one chapter but when I did all the revising and such that I wanted to it turned out to be a lot longer and leaving it like that would leave a horrible unbalance between it and what was originally chapter two (now chapter four) so I broke it up into three chapters.

Itachi's thoughts will be in italics.

**To Sharingan-Youkai:** I did make a few changes. Nothing major just spelling and grammar errors that I fixed and I also kicked out your comments. Well, except I decided that I didn't want Kakashi dead. I personally like the guy so I did personalize this fic. I hope you don't mind. But also, I wanted to say that this Itachi doesn't fit in with my normal Itachis, this one is brash, arrogant, impolite and, well, just everything that I don't like to portray him as because I don't think it coincides with his character. So I've decided to go back and change lines and stuff, the idea will remain intact, I'm just going to use it in a different way. Again, I hope you don't mind.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

The night was quiet, too quiet. Two figures clad in black cloaks stalked through the forest. Silently moving between trees, snow crunching soundlessly beneath their sandaled feet. Their hot breath turning white in the cold. Soon they came to a temple, old and beaten down over the years it was half buried in white snow and the entrance was covered. The shorter figure of the two performed a number of familiar hand seals quickly. The snow covering the entrance melted rapidly as fire burst from his lungs through his mouth. With the entrance revealed, they moved into the temple. Moving with the stealth they'd both been raised on, they entered into a single large room that was the temple itself. The walls were wooden and bare, the floor was wet. The only thing that stood out from the beaten room was a pedestal glowing with an ethereal light. Upon that pedestal lay a pink jewel with its power concealed within.

The taller figure blinked, frowning slightly. "This seems too easy." He stated quietly. His companion, upon hearing his remark, nodded.

"Something isn't right." He replied, stepping forwards cautiously. Another few steps later he stood before the pedestal. Crimson eyes scanned the surrounding area for any possible traps once more; he saw nothing but an inhuman chakra radiating from within the pink stone. His partner stood beside him, tense and ready. Uchiha, Itachi moved to lift the stone from its place, but moved quickly out of the way as a large gust that could have been potentially dangerous blew through where he'd been standing moments prior. Before him, standing in front of the pedestal stood a tall raven-haired woman. She had chocolate brown eyes that were currently staring into his own, a timeless look set in them. She was clad in feudal era armor, wielding a sword in one hand.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly as he drew a kunai, slightly bending his knees and balancing on the balls of his heels.

The woman frowned. "I am the Priestess Midoriko, creator and guardian of the Shikon no Tama. And you, Uchiha, Itachi will not attain it."

Kisame blinked, a motion Itachi had caught out of the corner of his eyes. It wasn't out of surprise, but more out of curiosity.

"How do you know my name?" he asked flatly, his partner standing ready by his side.

Midoriko laughed. "My boy your arrival has been predicted for centuries!"

Now that had really taken him off guard. Predicted for centuries? Who the hell was this woman and what did he have to do with anything?

He watched her with intense eyes, careful not to miss a single detail. She was clearly someone powerful in her own right. "Predicted? By who?"

Midoriko smiled an ominous but still all-knowing smile. "By me, you are the chosen one." Itachi raised an eyebrow at this, he didn't believe in things like destiny and 'chosen ones'. Midoriko sighed. "You have been chosen by the council to guard my reincarnation, Haruno, Sakura."

Itachi titled his head. "And what makes you so sure I'll do that?" The words were spoken with curious lilt more than a mocking one but it his tone would imply it all the same. He didn't care though, it didn't matter to him how others perceived him after all.

Midoriko glared; clearly she'd heard the condescending tone instead of the intrigued one. "It is your destiny Uchiha, Itachi, you have been chosen for a task and you will set out to complete it! She is very powerful, but her power is not tamed and she is completely unaware of her true nature. I will tell her when the time comes, but until that day you will find her, guard her with your life and train her in the ways of the sword."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. His irritation igniting at being ordered what to do with his life. Mission orders were one thing, life orders were a whole other. He'd gotten more that enough of those from his late clan members and wasn't about to roll over and do as some priestess ordains him to.

"And if I refuse?" It was the same tone as before but it had more of a steel bit to it.

"If you refuse, you will spend everyday and every night as a beast."

Itachi frowned, no longer in the mood to indulge in her games. "You hold no power over me." he glowered warningly, the pinwheel in his eyes spin with growing anger. "Now, step aside, I have no business with you or your games, only the jewel behind you."

Midoriko scowled at him with hard eyes. "So be it, only when the moon is full in the sky will you turn human, but for every other moment you will spend as a beast until your task is completed. I am disappointed in you Itachi, but you leave me with no alternative."

There was a blinding blast of light then and but before it was gone unconsciousness had claimed Itachi, his body thrown out into the cold snow. Kisame was thrown with him.

Midoriko shook her head, this was going to be more complicated and difficult task than she'd originally intended. Well, it was her fault for choosing someone of his character and history, but she knew it was necessary for what she had planned. Not too mention that she had a feeling Sakura was going to be just as impossible. Well, it was part of the job description she supposed. And then she was gone with the jewel.


	2. Accepting the Task

**Chapter:** Two – Accepting the Task

**Type:** Story – Incomplete

**Word Count:** 2,720

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** This was originally Sharingan-Youkai's but she decided to quit it and put it up for grabs. I liked it so I took it. The first three chapters were originally one chapter but when I did all the revising and such that I wanted to it turned out to be a lot longer and leaving it like that would leave a horrible unbalance between it and what was originally chapter two (now chapter four) so I broke it up into three chapters.

Itachi's thoughts will be in italics.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

A few hours later Itachi opened his eyes. He found himself lying on his side, with the sun was peaking over the trees and the snow beneath him had melted from his body heat. He looked around him and found Kisame, staring at him, blue eyes wide. He watched his comrade curiously in turn. What was the blue man staring at him for?

Kisame, as if hearing his thoughts, lifted a blue finger and pointed it at Itachi, causing him to tilt his head a little – an action he'd taken to when something intrigued or confused him. He sat up and rubbed his head.

He froze.

He rubbed his head again and found two odd furry stumps on top of his head. Furry? He lowered his hand down to eye level. He paled. His hand was actually a paw. A white-clawed paw. He looked at Kisame who was still sitting there staring at him. He saw a kunai on the ground next to him and looked into it. His reflection stared back at him. His once smooth face was now lengthened and furred, whiskers protruding from his cheeks and fangs glinting slightly in the light. He blinked; he looked behind him, a tail, hind legs, every thing white with black stripes.

He'd been turned into a tiger. He'd never fainted from anything but bloodless or injury before, but the very thought was so disorienting his brain had already shut down once more before he could stop it.

Another couple of hours later Itachi opened his crimson eyes once more, but this time it was to several other sets of eyes. He found himself tilting his head slightly.

"Uchiha? Is that you, un?" asked Deidera, jaw gapping. Itachi tried to sit up but was surprised to find that he had been crouching on the ground. As if he had just stood, then fell on his gut. He sat on his hind legs and looked himself over again.

"What did that woman do to me?"he tried to ask. But instead, it came out as a growl. Causing several off the members to jump back out of cautiousness and surprise. Itachi supposed it was understandable, most were intimidated by the sight of him. And now he imagined that he looked like a large white tiger with black stripes, crimson Sharingan eyes, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. And he'd just unintentionally growled menacingly. It was logical to be alarmed.

"Itachi? What happened?" asked Zetsu. Itachi again tried to respond. Say something, anything, but only growls and hisses came from his mouth.

He sighed. "_This is impossible, like trying to communicate with an uncaring cat."_ He thought.

Deidera blinked, then scowled. "Hey you're the one that got turned into a cat, not us, un!" every one looked at Deidera, even Itachi.

"_You can hear my thoughts?" _he asked in his head, cautiously. And when every one nodded, he found himself turning to Kisame, wanting further verification. _"Kisame?"_ the said man nodded slowly, eyes wide.

"I think I know what happened." Came Nagato's voice. The members turned to their Akatsuki leader. "Kisame explained what happened with the jewel and the woman. It seems that this Midoriko was an all powerful miko in the Feudal times. She had immense power and somehow, your now involved with her."

Itachi did what sounded like a snort, he was well aware of that. "_She's the one who kept talking about me being set a task by some council! She's the one who said if I refused she'd turn me into a beast and-…oh jeez… I gotta find that Sakura girl." _

This got him looks at him in confusion and raised eyebrows, like they thought he'd gone insane or something.

"But how are we supposed to find her?"

"_Hn…" _That was one answer he didn't have.

"Sakura you say? Would that be Haruno, Sakura?" Itachi nodded. Nagato in his Pein form nodded. "Haruno, Sakura, age fourteen, height 5'7 green eyes, pink hair, lives in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Medic-nin-in-training, known to have great potential, and is being trained by the Hokage herself."

"_How do you know all that?" _

"Simple." He lifted a manila file he had been reading. It was a file he'd thought to acquire considering the young girl was the Kyuubi container's best friend and teammate. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"So what, you have to kill her, un?" asked Deidera blinking. Itachi stood and stretched like the cat he is.

"_No, worse, I have to guard her."_

Again with crazy looks.

"Guard her? Like that? But what about that Midoriko lady, get her to reverse what she did to you." Sasori snapped, this was certainly an inconvenient time, what with Akatsuki getting ready for it's plans.

Kisame rolled his eyes with a snort but Itachi was already thinking out loud before he could open his mouth.

"_She won't, I have to guard this Sakura girl until Midoriko thinks she's ready and then she'll change me back. At least, that's what she said." _

Silence rained for a few moments, before Itachi growled with frustration, jumping off the table they had placed him on. He headed for the door, not even pausing to call over his shoulder. _"I'm leaving; I'm not coming back until that woman turns me back to normal." _

Nagato nodded nonchalantly, he'd been just about to order Itachi to do that.

"Kisame, escort him to The Village Hidden in the Leaves."

Kisame nodded and followed Itachi out the door. "So Itachi…how are you going to tell her? Are you going to tell her who you really are? What?"

"_No, I'll give her a false name, I'll tell her I was sent to guard her, and that's it… lets just hope she buys it." _

Kisame nodded, it was the most logical thing to do, Itachi is an infamous S-class criminal after all. Shouting one's identity to the enemy was foolish and had the potential to be costly. "Well, what false name do you have in mind?"

Itachi thought for a moment as they stepped outside. He looked down at the snow between his paws. Snow… "_Yuuki." _He said simply.

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "Yuuki? Whatever." Itachi rolled his crimson eyes. "Oh and don't forget to deactivate your Sharingan, she's your brother's teammate so there's no way she won't recognize it." Itachi didn't pause as red was quickly consumed by faded black. Kisame sighed. "We better hurry. How fast can that new body of yours run?" he asked smirking.

The former Uchiha heir shifted on his paws, smirking with an air of confidence. "_Lets find out." _With that he started to sprint, front legs darting out then vanishing under his body. His hind legs propelling him forward, he was surprised, as was Kisame, as he had to speed up to catch up. _"I still have my chakra. I may not be able to use seals but I can still pulse it through my body!" _with that they dashed through the snow covered forest.

Within a few hours they stopped on the edge of a drop off. Below them Leaf Village was revealed. Kisame laughed. "I'm looking forward to your report when you're back to normal."

Itachi rolled his eyes inwardly; leave it to Kisame to make jokes about a thing like this. But the younger of the two easily shrugged it off, used to the other's quirks.

"_I'll think of this as a vacation." _

He bounded down the drop, from ledge to ledge. By the time he made it to the bottom Kisame was long gone. He blinked when he noticed his tongue was hanging out of his mouth slightly. He jumped up onto the six-foot fence and looked around. Only a few people were out and about. Which was odd for a village of Konoha's size, though not surprising, it was the dead of winter – the coldest time of the year – people would be inside their homes keeping warm. Warm. Itachi focused on his body, finding that he hardly felt the cold. Maybe it wasn't so bad having fur.

He trotted along the fence with perfect balance and his normal grace. Would she be out now? He didn't know if she was even in the village right now and there was no telling how long it would take to find her. It wasn't like he could simply sneak into the place where they kept such information on file, not with this form anyway. Still, he looked about for any sign of the pink haired konuichi. He stopped a little while later when he noticed a flash of orange.

He only knew one person who would wear such a color. One that yelled to enemy ninja's 'Hey, I'm over here come get me!' The Kyuubi brat. And if the Uzumaki was here, then so was Sakura was bound to be as well, but then again so was Sasuke. That particular thought wasn't pleasing, little brother or not, the younger Uchiha had managed to irritate Itachi to no end because of his seemingly thoughtless stupidity. But that wasn't something he was in the mood to think about at this moment.

He jumped down off the fence, thudding silently when he hit the ground and easily followed Naruto down the street, sticking to the shadows. It was amazing how a trained ninja could be obtuse to the fact that he was being followed by a tiger that was stood almost shoulder-to-shoulder with the boy while staying on all fours. Soon he was led to a ramen stall with two other occupants. Sakura and Sasuke. He stopped on against the wall, easily jumping to the top of it without getting anyone's attention. Really, it was a wonder how the village had survived so long if people didn't even look once at a giant tiger on top of a ramen stand.

"Hey Sakura! Hey Teme!" chirped Naruto as he sat next to him team.

"Hey Sakura, what are you doing for Christmas this year?" asked Naruto energetically as usual. Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment. That's right, Christmas and all those other winter holidays were right around the corner weren't they? Oh well, it's not like he celebrated them anyway.

"Well I was going to spend it with you guys, but Tsunade-shishou's got something set up for my training as a medic. Sorry Naruto."

Naruto's head dropped, scowling at nothing in particular. "Damn that old lady! It's Christmas for crying out loud!" shouted Naruto. "Ok fine, what about you Sasuke?" The Uchiha in question blinked. He had never really thought about it before.

"I don't know, training I guess." Naruto looked incredulous.

"Training? On Christmas? Why do you have to train Sasuke? You've already beaten your brother!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto who was completely unfazed. Itachi didn't even flinch at the reminder. Sasuke hadn't really beaten him, he'd merely allowed the boy to think so when they'd fought. The elder Uchiha had gauged the younger one's abilities and power only to find it insufficient and too easy to defeat and so had feigned weakness. He'd had something of the beginnings of a nasty cold at that time and had used it to fake an incurable illness, which had worked like a charm. But that had been nearly half a year ago and now Itachi was recorded as dead in all documentation that he was in. But that was a subject for another time, his focus in Konoha now was Haruno, Sakura.

"So? I can do what ever I want with my time, can't I?"

Naruto's fury cropped up suddenly and brightly. "Fine then, go train and get stronger! I thought Itachi might've knocked some sense into you before you killed him! Of all the evil things he did, you had to kill him when he was trying to _save _you!" With that Naruto stalked off.

Sasuke was boiling. The thought of Itachi trying to 'save' him was clearly unnerving for the fourteen-year-old. Though Naruto had been right on the mark. When Itachi had learned that Sasuke had defected to join Orochimaru, needless to say he hadn't been pleased. And so he'd gone to see his brother to convince that such an action was foolish and that he should return to Konoha. But he'd been more stubborn and narrow minded than Itachi had realized and thus the fight had ensued.

Sakura sat next to him, watching him boil. "Come on Sasuke. Do you really have to do this to yourself? Why not have some fun for once? I mean ever since you came back you've been so…withdrawn. After we worked so hard to break your shell, you've gone and thrown it up again. What can we do to be the friends we once were Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned and looked at her with a blank but analyzing stare. "You've done enough Sakura." With that he slid off his stool and began to walk off, not even turning to see the wounded look in his teammate's eyes.

Itachi growled. "_You're becoming what I once was Sasuke. Don't go down that road, it's not easy to find your way back."_ He thought. Meaning for Sasuke to hear him. Which he did. The youngest present stopped dead in his tracks, Sharingan glowing red as he looked around him and his breathe white in the cold wind. He stood there silent, searching.

"That voice…no, he's dead. I must be hearing things." With that he walked off.

He jumped down from his perch and padded toward Sakura. He hopped onto the stool next to her, placing his weight on his hind legs. Her eyes were wide with shock and cautiousness, gasping as he looked right at her, black meeting startled green.

"W-who, what are you?" She asked shaking slightly, eyes skittering around as discreetly as possible. Itachi repressed a sigh; she clearly still had a lot to learn as a shinobi, but at least she knew when she was faced with a potentially dangerous threat and should look for a way out just in case.

It was now or never. "_My name is Yuki, and I am your guardian."_

Sakura froze. It spoke, in her head! "G-guardian? But you're a-a tiger."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. _"Clearly.__" _he said flatly.

Sakura's eyes widened. And though all he could think was 'what now.' He realized he should have put more thought into this plan than he did. "T-that voice! I-Itachi!" Because he honestly hadn't thought that she'd be able to recognize him by his voice, he'd barely spoken a few sentences around her, let alone to her. It was a mistake he hadn't even taken into account, but then again, people who had chased him all their lives couldn't correctly know it was him by a handful of words.

Still, Itachi's headshot up as Sakura stumbled backwards off her stool. Quickly finding her feet as she turned and dashed around the corner. This time he really did sigh as he jumped down from the stool and started after her. Sakura leapt up onto the rooftops, bounding from roof to roof with a stealth that could still use some work. Itachi chose to lope along side from the ground, keeping a continuous eye on both her and the terrain in front of him. He jumped up onto a crate and kicked off landing behind Sakura on the rooftops. Hearing the noise, she glanced back and yelped when she realized he was _right there_ and tried to move even faster.

Itachi glanced ahead of her to where she was running.

She was heading for Sasuke's house. Not good, that could cause some tricky and unwanted problems.


	3. With Words

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Chapter:** Three – With Words

**Type:** Story – Incomplete

**Word Count:** 2035

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** The first three chapters were originally one chapter but when I did all the revising and such that I wanted to it turned out to be a lot longer and leaving it like that would leave a horrible unbalance between it and what was originally chapter two (now chapter four) so I broke it up into three chapters.

Itachi's thoughts will be in italics.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Well, they say desperate times call for desperate measures for a reason, he supposed.

He came to a stop and took a deep breath, "_Sakura! I need your help."_ he called out, it'd been a long time since he said he'd _needed_ someone's _help_.

She slowed to a halt across the roof from him. Slowly and hesitantly she turned to the large white tiger Itachi.

She blinked. "I-Itachi? Is that really you?"

Itachi sat on his hind legs, waiting patiently as he flicked his tail about. The picture of ease "_It is."_ He confirmed with a slight nod of his head.

"But…How? Sasuke killed you…"

"_No, he didn't kill me. I merely allowed him to think he did so that he'd remember the path he should be on."_

Sakura fell back on her ass out of surprise. Blinking rapidly as she did so.

"But you're a tiger? How did…"

He really didn't want to explain that, but it was probably the only way to get her to listen. "_A priestess by the name of Midoriko turned me into this animal…that is why I need your help." _

She tilted her head which almost made him blink in turn. Did she have the same quirk he did? "_My _help. Why me? Can't some one in the Akatsuki help you?"

He shook his head, trying to stay patient. "_No, only you. Midoriko gave me some kind of task. When I refused she turned me into this. I'm supposed to be your guardian for some amount of time." _

Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment. And he found himself grateful at her logical mindset as well as her capacity to help others. It seemed Konoha's peace and pacifism could be a good thing at times after all. "But why? Why you?"

Itachi tilted his head slightly. "_I don't have that answer. She said that she would tell you about your true nature, but until then I have to guard you with my own life." _

Sakura stood slowly and then approached Itachi, kneeling to be at eye level with him when she was nary a foot away. She seemed more at ease and again he found a million and one flaws with this girl and he didn't even know her. She looked him over as if trying to assess the threat he paused and how much she should believe him. If she was a good kunoichi she should be wary and questioning everything he'd told her, even if that did make his job one thousand times harder.

But she only smiled, relaxing whatever was left of her tense stance. "Wow, if you're this adorable as an overgrown cat, you must be pretty handsome as a human."

Before he could figure out how to put together a response to such an off-topic and out-of-the-blue statement she'd lifted her hand to his ear and began scratching it.

He was wrong, dead wrong. This was going to be impossible anyway. Narrowing his eyes he yanked back a growl ripping through his throat in warning, and in turn she yelped in surprise almost falling on her ass for the second time in less than fifteen minutes. Good, she should learn to have a healthy fear for s-class criminals, especially Akatsuki members. _"I am not some stray found on the side of the road."_

She arched an eyebrow then, seeming to have regained her balance. Why the hell was she looking at him like that? His irritation only increased then because he realized that she probably didn't know the meaning of self-preservation and guarding her was going to be a full time job. It was a miracle she was still alive, and the Hokage's apprentice no less.

He put his paws more fully on the ground then to show her just how serious he was being. In return all she did was lift her hand yet again, he narrowed his eyes watching as she reached towards him once more, slower this time. "No your not, you're a dangerous person. But you're supposed to be my guardian right? I don't think you'll kill me just for touching you."

Damn logic to hell, he thought sourly. At least now he knew why Midoriko wanted her protected, and he was beginning to get why she chose him. But if things were going to be like this from now on he was really going to go insane.

But her hand stopped short of touching him, she'd left it with her palm up and allowed it to hang between the two of them. She was offering her hand. He stared at it a moment longer then looked back up at her, she was staring at him with confident green eyes. They'd be the death of her. And him. After a moment he picked up a paw and placed it in her outstretched hand, it seem completely small in comparison as it was completely covered. But that didn't stop her from curling the tips of her fingers around the padding.

They stayed like that for a long moment, him assessing her and her leaving everything open to be assessed. Finally, he tilted his head unable to help his curiosity, _"Do I not intimidate you?"_

Sakura seemed to think that over before a mischievous grin split across her lips and he really didn't like it. "Well, as far as stone cold killers go, you're pretty cuddly."

Itachi blinked. Did she really just say that? He unsheathed the claws in both paws, scrapping the material of the roof and digging them into her hand warningly. His eyes were narrow and he could feel the Sharingan just beneath the surface. "_Cuddly? I am one of the most feared shinobi to rise out of Konoha. I am _not_, nor will I ever be, cuddly."_ he growled spitting the word 'cuddly' out with pure venom.

She merely fell backward – on her ass – laughing.

Itachi could feel his irritation growing far quicker than it ever had before. How could one teenage girl provoke such emotions so easily? _"Will you be quiet, someone might–"_

"Sakura? What are you doing?" Itachi turned in his place to see Sasuke standing on the roof top only feet from the both of them. Sasuke looked at him. Itachi looked back. Both black eyes were blank, Itachi's careful and Sasuke's analyzing. Sakura stopped laughing and froze as she looked from Itachi to Sasuke. "Sakura…is that a…tiger?"

Sakura nodded, smiling as naturally as she could as she got to her feet and moved to Itachi's side. Closer this time in fact she was so close, "Uh-huh. This is my friend Yuuki!" she was able wrap her arms around his muscular neck in cuddling and affectionate way. His eyes went wide at it was all he could do to not turn and snap her arm off in pure reflex. What had he told her about keeping her distance?

So he settled for, _"Let go of me, Sakura.__"_ feeling very uncomfortable at the moment. He'd almost forgotten Sasuke's presence until he felt the teenager's Sharingan scanning him.

"Well, he's a normal tiger…there's nothing odd about him. So you don't have to worry about him turning into a Rouge Nin and killing you in your sleep…" It was amazing how he seemed to think the worst case scenario and any other time Sasuke's statement would have been a ridiculous notion, but this time it was almost right on the mark.

Sakura laughed, almost nervously. "Hahaha, yeah. He's my guardian… well, that's what I call him anyway."

It was then that Itachi learned that Sakura could not lie, she was horrible at it and there was no way Sasuke was going to believe her. Not a chance. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He approached Itachi and knelt in front of him, careful to keep a good distance. He stared into his eyes. Itachi stared back. Eventually it turned into a full blown staring contest. Sakura sweat-dropped. She could swear there was a rivalry line running through the air. Soon enough Itachi growled just to get the stubborn boy to knock it off.

Sasuke glared at him in turn. "Stupid cat."

Itachi responded by bluff charging him. This earned a surprised yelp from Sasuke as he promptly fell off the roof. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him; it sounded more like a cross between growling and hissing. Sakura jumped down to join Sasuke, presumable to make sure the boy hadn't gotten himself a concussion or broken bone, but he only sat up rubbing his head without any other apparent injuries. Itachi jumped down with them just as Sakura helped Sasuke to his feet and dusted his back off.

"Sorry Sasuke. Bad Yuuki." She scolded and he realized that it was only for appearances and that she didn't actually mean anything other than her apology.

The younger Uchiha nodded absently, brushing her off and sending a glare in the tiger's direction before turning back to the rosette, "You better head home Sakura, it's late."

Sakura nodded. "Good night Sasuke." she told him cheerfully as she waved, standing in the same place until he was out of sight. She turned on her heel to head for her own him, Itachi easily matching her pace, "So, what's it like being a tiger?" she asked after a few long moments in silence. He'd honestly expected a 'what the hell was that?' or something to that degree from her for what had just transpired. Oh well, it's not like it mattered to him what went on inside her head just so long as it didn't cause him problems.

"_It's not too bad. I don't have to worry about the cold as much as I used to. And having claws is kind cool, I guess."_ He answered honestly, his tone flat.

Sakura titled her head but didn't say anything. Her eyes trailed behind him to his paw prints. Soon enough they reached her small home. She unlocked the door, letting Itachi in first. The sun was setting low behind the mountains now. It was getting darker by the minute.

"Well what now?" she asked as she closed and locked the door.

"_You tell me.__" _he said simply as he sat on the carpet near the hearth.

"Well, it's getting late and I have to be up early so I'm going to bed." She told him after she'd thought about it a moment and then she glanced at him, "You can sleep on the sofa," She paused and then there was that mischievous grin that he was beginning to dislike with a passion "just try not to malt on it, ok?"

Itachi's tail twitched with irritation. "_I do not malt thank you very much." _

Sakura laughed in response as she climbed the average sized set of stairs and sauntered down the hall. He watched as she shut her door then there was silence. Itachi looked around the dark apartment. Having keen night vision was quite useful now that he knew he had it. Sure he could see in the dark with his Sharingan, but it took up some chakra. Now it was natural. He tried to suppress a yawn but his mouth opened wide as his tongue curled. Weird, but clearly he was going to have a tough time suppressing those. He looked at the sofa that she'd mentioned earlier. There was no way in hell he would get to sleep in that thing, it was old and she clearly needed a new one. So instead, he curled up by the fire place to keep extra warm. Something told him he'd need all his energy tomorrow.

And boy was he right.


	4. In the Morning

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Chapter:** Four – In the Morning

**Type:** Story – Incomplete

**Word Count:** 1,230

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** The first three chapters were originally one chapter but when I did all the revising and such that I wanted to it turned out to be a lot longer and leaving it like that would leave a horrible unbalance between it and what was originally chapter two (now chapter four) so I broke it up into three chapters.

Also I apologize if Itachi seems OOC in this chapter, but I simply couldn't resist leaving it the way Sharingan-Youkai originally had it because I don't see Itachi as a morning person, but Sakura I think is cheerful whenever she isn't pissed off or exhausted, or both. So, I didn't really do anything to this chapter other than clean up all the grammatical and spelling mistakes made by the original owner. Well, and I personalized it to my particular style of writing.

Itachi's thoughts (that are in quotations and are his way of speech) will be in italics. (As will Sakura's when she's speaking/thinking specifically to Itachi)

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Knock, knock.

"_Grrrrr."_

Knock, knock, knock.

"_Grr-stupid-zzzzzzzzz."_

Knock, knock…BANG, BANG!

"_Damn it Sakura get the door."_

"I'm busy, you open it!"

"_I would but I currently lack, oh you know, opposable thumbs."_

"Alright, alright don't get your whiskers in a twist."

"_I resent that."_

"Whatever. Coming!"

Yesterday had been the first full day of many after Itachi found his charge and yet they were already acting like an old married couple…typical. But Itachi was not nor would he ever be a morning person like his pink haired house mate. How did he continually get stuck with them? First Kisame and now her. He watched with barely open eyes as Sakura rushed down the stairs and over to the front door, she fixed her hair quickly then yanked it open.

"Can I help – Oh Sasuke what are you doing here so early?"

Early was an understatement.

"_It's too early to be alive."_ Itachi stated as he dropped a paw over his eyes with a loud yawn. The sun wasn't even up yet. Sure he was used to get up earlier than this but that didn't make him a morning person, nor would it ever.

"Sorry if I woke you Sakura, but the Hokage wanted me to tell you that your lessons for today will have to wait until tomorrow, something came up."

Sakura slumped as she heard this and moved aside. "Alright, come on in, I'll put on some coffee." Sasuke did as told and entered the cozy house.

"_The correct term is 'tea', Sakura."_ Itachi told her, he'd learned the day before that he could specify who heard him and so Sasuke didn't. He'd moved his paw to set it on the other side of his muzzle, eyes completely closed.

She didn't look back because it would look odd to their guest, but he knew instinctively that she'd made a face.

"_Saw that."_

"_No you didn't."_ As it turned out he could also hear any thoughts she deliberately projected at him as well, which would be nifty later on.

Itachi snorted softly, shifting slightly to fall back asleep.

Sasuke looked around, his eyes instantly landing on the black and white ball of fur near the hearth. He waited for Sakura to disappear into the kitchen before he snuck over to the 'sleeping' tiger. He was about to poke it in the head, but suddenly yelped when it sprang and leapt on him. This caused him to land on the floor on his back with something heavy resting on his chest. He blinked and looked up only to see Yuuki, if he remembered correctly, sitting on him.

Itachi smirked. Younger brother or not, it served him right for daring to mess with his sleeping time.

"Damn it you stupid animal get off me!" he snapped, only to sneeze when he got a face full of tail. "Why you–"

He was abruptly cut off however when the door behind him suddenly burst open with a cheery, "Good morning, Sakura!" The second the loud blond entered the room and caught sight of Sasuke stuck under a heavy looking tiger he instantly fell over laughing. Sakura came into the room after hearing the commotion only to freeze, then snickered behind her hand.

"Umm, Sasuke, are you ok?" The Uchiha just wheezed as he tried to push the not-so-light cat off of him, key word being 'tried'. The thing wouldn't move…

Itachi smirk widened as he rested a sharp clawed paw on the younger male's crotch, almost threatening to cause the Uchiha pain. This caught Sasuke's attention as he struggled more, then turned to Sakura.

"Damn it, woman! Get this stupid thing off me!" Itachi seemed to take offense to the 'stupid thing' remark and promptly shifted himself to sit on the boys _face._ This caused the room to erupt in hysterical laughter. Though he, himself was a little mortified he'd do such a thing but realized he didn't really care…no one knew it was him after all – well aside from Sakura- …besides, the boy could do with a few lessons in mannerisms. Especially when dealing with a large tiger.

"Alright, that's enough Yuuki, get off of him, he can't breathe." Itachi just huffed and climbed off the now blue Uchiha and went back to lay down where he had been previously.

"_He would have lived…" _Of course he said this in Sakura's mind only, but he was very tempted to piss the younger male off. But alas he was too tired… so entertained himself with the thought of going back to sleep.

Sakura shook her head at him in exasperation; he paid her no mind though. "You're impossible." He didn't bother to dignify that with a response, "How in the world did you're family never learn this side of you?"

"It not even dawn yet, I don't have to be up, and it's you. Frankly, I don't care if how I'm acting now doesn't match up to your image of me."

She looked like she wanted to laugh and sigh at the same time, "Not what I meant and is the great Uchiha, Itachi making excuses." Again he chose not to respond, "And, frankly, I like this you better than the one in the records."

He froze at her words. That wasn't something he exactly wanted to hear after all.

Sakura seemed to get the hint that their conversation was over and so, turned to head back for the kitchen.

But, unfortunately for Itachi, attaining sleep was not to be because as it turned out Naruto had a thing for cats…So, he was stuck with an annoying fox brat who seemed to think waving a string in front of his face would–

Okay, never mind that last part because he could not for the life of him stop the paw that flicked at it in an attempt to catch it. The blonde brat flicked the string again, he flicked his paw again, then for some odd reason he was chasing the string in every direction as the blond ran with it.

So as it were the great Uchiha, Itachi was reduced to a playful kitten by a damn piece of string.

"_Damn you, DAMN YOU TO HELL!"_


	5. Are We Bonding?

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Chapter:** Five – Are We _Bonding_?

**Type:** Story – Incomplete

**Word Count:** 1,975

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** Itachi's thoughts will be in italics. And from here on out the every word is mine, only the previous four chapters had or oginially been Sharingan-Youkai's.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Was it just her or were they bonding? Not Itachi and Sasuke, she didn't see that happening for a good long while _if_ it happened. And boy was that a big if. No, she meant her and Itachi.

After Sasuke had left, not wanting to be around Yuuki any longer than he had to, Naruto had trailed behind him saying something about wanting a rematch or other. That had made her snort, because she couldn't imagine who would win. True Sasuke was strong, but Naruto was steadily growing everyday. Sakura was sure that if Sasuke wasn't careful, Naruto would win their race without Sasuke realizing that he'd ever been passed.

So after they'd left the house Itachi had settled back into his spot on the couch and she'd sat next to him with a medical scroll to dive into since her Shishou would be busy today and couldn't train her. This is why she wondered if they were bonding. After getting a fair way into the text she'd simply glanced at Itachi wondering if he'd lapsed back into sleep since he was so quiet. She'd already figured out that Itachi is by nature a quiet, keep to himself kind of individual, but she wasn't used to that and therefore thought he was asleep. And as it turned out his eyes were closed and his mighty chest rose and feel at a steady rate, so she'd concluded he was snoozing.

And she wondered what his fur felt like.

Never had she run into a situation where she didn't see why she couldn't indulge in her curiosity and so didn't see anything wrong with placing her reading material in her lap and stretching her arm out to set her hand on his back. Delighted to find it soft to the touch she moved her hand in a petting motion. It felt like running her hand across soft expensive silk.

Then his eyes snapped open. And all she could think was 'oops'.

"_What do you think your doing?"_

Instantly she retracted her hand. "Uh. Well. I thought you were asleep and–" True he wouldn't kill her, but he still was an S-class criminal. Somehow she'd managed to get that for the past few days. Which would not bode well for her health in any way one looked at it. Because first and for most she was housing one of Konoha's largest criminals, labeled dead or not. And it'd taken till then to realize just how much trouble she could get into for that.

"_So you thought you'd pet me."_

Pushing her thoughts back for a later date, because now was not the time no matter how important said matter was; she nodded with a sheepish smile. "I was curious about what your fur felt like and well…"

He snorted and slipped of the couch and then laid back down in curled form next to the fire place she made a mental note to start later. Who knew Uchiha, Itachi was so heat oriented? Figuring the conversation dropped she went back to the scroll in her lap. She really needed to learn this, it would be crucial in the long run. But she found herself glancing at the large cat once more to find him in the state she'd been in before she touched him.

No, Sakura. She told herself. Focus. That's what she needed to be doing so she'd reread the paragraph once more, then again and again. After having gone through it for the fifth time and still not comprehending it – not because she couldn't, but her damn mind simply wouldn't absorb the knowledge she was trying to give it – she sighed in frustration and put the scroll down as gently as she could. Shishou wouldn't be happy if she'd learned Sakura had torched the document because the coral haired girl couldn't focus for all of five seconds. Then she got up and headed for the kitchen mentally compartmentalizing her day to come as she did so, the sun beginning to finally rise.

Sasuke was most definitely an early riser; even she didn't get up before the sun. Oh well, she could think about the Uchiha boy later, right now she needed worry about her own habits. Itachi had only been here for a day at most and he was already affecting her life, she wondered how much of her daily life would change because him. It'd already taken such an unexpected turn as it were and she had the feeling that it was only going to continue at such a rate. She was in for a ride as at were, but she couldn't bring herself to look away.

It was a chance. A chance to improve as well as to prove herself – to others and herself. And that's what she'd been waiting for. She wouldn't turn it down now, no matter what it cost her.

In the meantime…She looked back in the direction of the living room as she allowed the eggs to begin cooking, moving them around with the spatula without looking. In the meantime she'd learn all she could and as for Itachi…Well, she'd have to take things one step at a time with the overgrown tiger.

Humming quietly to herself she also started some bacon and sausages; and between putting some bread in the toaster, she poured a glass of milk for herself. Then she hopped on the counter nearest to the eggs so that she could stir them when she needed to. Soon enough she was done and after she'd made a plate for herself she remembered that she now had a temporary resident in her home but she wasn't sure of what he ate, or if he was even hungry. Well, there was only one solution to that. So, setting her dishes down on a counter she ventured back into the living room.

Itachi was exactly how he was when she'd left him and so she merely knelt down beside him. She'd learned her lesson as it were, so she'd settle for waking him the old fashioned way. "Hey, are you hungry?"

He shifted, peeking open one eye halfway before nodding. He got to his feet, stretching his body after he'd done so and followed her. But instead of padding after her into the kitchen he hooked his paw around a chair and tugged, when it was a sufficient distance from the table he jumped onto it and fell back on his hunches.

Sakura smiled as she caught a glimpse of him over her shoulder, unable to help how she realized that he'd easily adapted to this new portion of his life that he'd been forced into. Pushing that thought behind a few more important ones she called back to him, "Would you like eggs, bacon or sausage? Oh and there's toast."

"_Not very traditional are you?"_

She giggled, "No. So? I can make some onigiri and omelets if you want."

She looked back at him and they held each others eyes for a few moments. His black eyes burned into her green ones with an intensity she'd never faced before. It incited a weird bubbly feeling in her gut that she did her best to ignore, after all it probably couldn't be anything good.

After what seemed like an eternity and a day he slowly blinked before shaking his head once, _"Eggs and sausages will be fine."_

She nodded happily, glad that whatever moment they'd just had was over. "Would you like scrambled eggs or sun-side-up?"

"_Over medium."_ He responded easily.

Again she nodded and set to making his food. When she was done, she gathered the plates and placed them in their respective places – Itachi's in front of him and hers across from him because that's where she usually sat. After she had she returned to the kitchen for her glass, which reminded her. "Itachi, do you want orange juice, milk or water?"

This time he did pause. _"Milk, please."_

She smiled, trying to stifle her giggles.

He still heard them, _"Something amuses you?"_

And the giggles got the best of her, turning into laughter. When she'd pushed it back enough to talk she shook her head, "Just a cat asking for milk."

Again his eyes were burning into her, this time she felt the edge of a glare in it though. But she merely grabbed the carton of milk and pour some into a bowl. After she put the milk back she grabbed his bowl and her glass and set them next to other dishes. His narrowed eyes were still on her, finally she looked up and gave him a smile, "Oh come on, Itachi. It's just the irony of it that's funny is all."

Frowning, he seemed to finally allow the glare to fade.

Once she was seated they both mutter an 'itadakimasu' and dug into their food.

After a few bites she glanced at him, "So, you never completely explained what your roll is. You know: why you're guarding me and why you're a tiger."

He paused before leveling her with an even gaze. _"What is it you wish to know?"_

She considered that for a moment, trying to form the questions that she wanted. "Well, I guess I want to know why you're guarding me. I mean, couldn't someone from Konoha been picked just as easily?"

"_I don't know why I specifically picked. And your right, one of your teammates or your teachers would have probably been more fitting. Either way, the priestess who told me to protect you said that I was supposed to be the one to do it, she didn't give any reasons as to why it had to be me."_

Sakura tilted her head, allowing the information to sink in properly, "And you said this priestess – Midoriko, right? – was the one who turned you into a tiger?"

"_That's correct, on both accounts."_

"And if I remember correctly you didn't say for how long."

"_I will be a tiger until I have fulfilled the task she gave me – guarding you until she comes for you herself. She didn't not say when that would be."_

"So we're pretty much stuck with each other until then."

Itachi didn't respond, merely finished his food. Sakura also finished hers in silence to busy with her thoughts to try to push the topic any further or find a new one.

Until a question occurred to her, "Why me?"

He tilted his head at her in silent question.

"Why do I need to be guarded?"

He was quiet then, and he stayed that way so long that she wondered if he was ever going to answer her. _"She said you are her reincarnation, that you are powerful but that potential is untamed and so you need to be guarded until she can properly teach it to you."_

"Oh." She couldn't think of any other way to respond to that answer. She was a reincarnation of a priestess…that was still alive? How could that be? And that she needed training to help control her power meant that either this Midoriko thought her not strong enough to do so on her own or that power itself needed teaching before it could be mastered properly.

When she was done with her she grabbed all of the dishes and placed them in the sink, quickly setting to work on washing them. She heard Itachi get off the chair and slide it back into place before padding back to where he'd been resting previously to continue on doing so.

She couldn't help the one question that wouldn't leave her alone.

Why was she so special?


End file.
